Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis lost for the season

Oct. 15, 2012
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Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) pumps up the crowd during the game against the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium in September. Lewis has a biceps injury that could sideline him for the season. / Evan Habeeb, U.S. Presswire

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

OWINGS MILLS, Md. - The playing future of an active NFL legend is in serious jeopardy with Monday's announcement that Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis will miss the remainder of the 2012 season with a torn right triceps.

The Ravens' season, too, hinges upon how the team responds to the loss of Lewis and cornerback Lardarius Webb, who tore his left anterior cruciate ligament in Sunday's victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Coach John Harbaugh announced the findings of Monday's MRIs at team headquarters. He said he had not spoken with Lewis since hearing the news and would not say if he believed the 37-year old, 13-time Pro Bowl player would retire rather than return next season.

"That's for Ray to speak on," Harbaugh said. "I admire Ray Lewis. I've said that many times. I think anybody that knows him feels that way. I'll be looking forward to see what he says about that."

Harbaugh said Webb was "distraught" after the game. He said Lewis was worried but spoke of his faith in God.

"He said some things that I will never forget," Harbaugh said. "He puts his faith in Providence."

If Sunday's game was Lewis' last, it was one to forget. The Cowboys set a record for rushing yards against the Ravens in a single game with 227. Lewis' impact and ability had come into question before the injury, with a former teammate and several analysts saying he hasn't been the player he once was.

Still, former Ravens head coach Brian Billick, now an analyst for NFL Network, told USA TODAY Sports the loss of Lewis is a "huge blow."

"You don't take a Hall of Fame player like Ray Lewis out of the heart of the defense and say, 'Okay, we're going to be fine,' " Billick said Monday.

The MVP of Super Bowl XXXV, Lewis was leading the Ravens with 57 tackles at the time of his injury. He's been the face of the franchise since it relocated from Cleveland in 1996, the year he was drafted out of Miami (Fla.). Lewis and the defense led the Ravens to their lone championship in the 2000 season.

Said New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who once coached Lewis with the Ravens: "He's just a great player, a great competitor, so passionate in everything he does. When you lose a player like Ray Lewis, it's not just the Ravens that lose, but the entire NFL loses."

Lewis has plenty to look forward to in a life after football. His son, Ray Lewis III, committed to play running back for the Miami Hurricanes in December, and Lewis has expressed a desire to see his son play. He also figures to have plenty opportunities in broadcasting.

But at least one teammate expressed skepticism over the notion of Lewis retiring.

Billick said recent negative assessments of Lewis' play have been overblown, and the struggles of the Ravens defensive line are more to blame for Baltimore's defensive problems.

"In the last two games, it was as much about the offensive linemen being able to get up to that second level," Billick said. "(The Ravens) need to protect him a little better, because he can't take on the unblocked linemen as well as he used to."

The Ravens can look forward to the return of reigning NFL defensive player of the year Terrell Suggs, who is targeting a Week 9 return from a partial Achilles' tendon tear suffered this offseason.

The outside linebacker won't be back for a Week 7 visit to the Houston Texans (5-1) and their sixth-ranked rushing offense led by running back Arian Foster. The Ravens have a much-needed bye the following week.

But defensive edge play hasn't been Baltimore's problem, says Harbaugh.

"Terrell is more of an edge setter than he (is responsible for) keeping the interior line off of the linebackers," Harbaugh said. "Guys getting up on the linebackers is a concern for us."

That's a problem for Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Haloti Ngata, interior tackles on a defense that ranks 23rd against the pass and 26th against the run. Ngata, himself hampered by a knee sprain Sunday, called the Ravens run defense "disgusting" and said the team needed to "go back to the drawing board."

They'll have to do so without two of their top defensive players. Expect the Ravens to insert Dannell Ellerbe at inside linebacker and promote 2011 first-round pick Jimmy Smith to starting cornerback opposite Cary Williams. Harbaugh feels confident in the team's ability to replace Webb and Lewis.

"That's what you have to be able to do," Harbaugh said. "Obviously, that's going to define what we're able to accomplish this year. I won't put odds on it. That's just something that we're going to have to get done."

Harbaugh described Webb as the best cornerback in the NFL Monday. He tore his right ACL in 2009 as a rookie. The Ravens have allowed 260 passing yards per game during a 5-1 start.

"To me, Lardarius had become one of the premier corners in the league," Harbaugh said. "I'm biased. I'd say he's the best. I wouldn't take anybody over Lardarius Webb. He will be back. He will rehab like crazy, and he will be back stronger than ever. He's just that kind of guy."

All things considered, the Ravens are far from the clear-cut AFC favorites they might have become with the New England Patriots and Texans losing in Week 6.

"They're going to be a factor," Billick said. "They're going to make a run at it. Obviously, Ed Reed will anchor that defense as he always has. You've got Haloti Ngata up front. Although it will hurt to lose Ray Lewis, they have plenty of character to get through this. Are they in the same strong position they were in before? Probably not."